Spinyhead Cusk

biology_ecology

Biology and distribution (Fig. 25). A viviparous species occurring on the lower continental shelf. Holotype a male with simple intromittant organ. Paratype a female with 4 embryos (4 – 5 mm long) with red-brown eyes, up to 20 scattered, red-brown spots on body and a short, brown stripe above abdomen (Fig. 1 C). Known from two specimens caught in the same trawl haul in the Arafura Sea from a depth of 146 m.

Revision of Hastatobythites and Saccogaster (Teleostei, Bythitidae) with three new species and a new genus

description

Description. The major meristic and morphometric characters are shown in Table 3. Head and body elongate and strongly compressed with tapering caudal part and blunt snout. Posterior part of body fully scaled, anterior part with a few scales in midline and head naked. No visible lateral line. Dorsal fin origin above proximal part of pectoral fin and anal fin origin well behind midpoint of fish. Pectoral fin ending less than halfway to anus with peduncle a little longer than broad. Anterior gill arch (Fig. 2 D) with 4 – 5 knobs on upper branch, a developed raker in angle and lower branch with two developed rakers with a knob between followed by 11 knobs; all rakers and knobs with small, densely placed spines. Long rakers about twice the length of gill filaments. Two small pseudobranchial filaments. Head pores on paratype difficult to observe. Axial skeleton (based on radiographs): Number of precaudal vertebrae 15. Anterior neural spine one fifth the length of second spine. Neural spines 4 – 5 to 6 – 7 gradually decreasing in length. Pointed tips on neural spines 1 – 2 to 4 – 5, blunt tips on spines 6 to 9 – 11 and remaining vertebrae with neural and haemal spines pointed. Vertebrae 3

Revision of Hastatobythites and Saccogaster (Teleostei, Bythitidae) with three new species and a new genus

materials_examined

Material examined (1 specimen and photo and radiograph of holotype NTM S. 12904 - 011): Paratype: NTM S. 12904 - 018, female, 57 mm SL, NNE of Money Shoal, Arafura Sea. 9 ° 18 ’ S, 133 ° 25 ’ E, otter trawl, 146 m, 7 Nov. 1990. Remarks on material: Two specimens known from the same locality. A specimen (AMS I. 29749 - 002) caught off New South Wales was originally identified as H. arafurensis and cited by Nielsen et al. (1999: 105). It is now correctly referred to Saccogaster tuberculata (Chan, 1966).

Revision of Hastatobythites and Saccogaster (Teleostei, Bythitidae) with three new species and a new genus